Happy 426 HEMI Day

Happy 426 Hemi Day! It’s April 26, time to lift a glass to the Chrysler 426 Hemi. HOT ROD, drag racing, and of course Chrysler have all been recipients of much love that comes from everything that is the 426 Hemi. And in turn, so have you. Admit it Ford and GM guys, even if you’re not a Mopar person you at least have to respect and admire what Chrysler wrought.

Back in the 1960s, who would have ever thought Chrysler would resurrect the Hemi-style engine for production? Having ceased production of the first Gen Hemi after 1958, the 413 and 426 wedge engine proudly took up the Mopar gauntlet. But then a funny thing happened; NASCAR dominance. Yes, Chrysler decided they wanted total dominance of NASCAR, and so in ’64—50 years ago, they reintroduced a mightier version of the venerable Hemi, the Gen II 426 race Hemi. And the rest is history.

That day has been captured with these images from the HOT ROD archives. These are shots of the Chrysler garage as they install and tune what would become the most dominant NASCAR and drag racing engine for a long time.

In tribute to the Gen II 426 Race HEMI, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, Mopar has designated April 26 (4-26) as “HEMI Day” and will once again share a video featuring all the Mopar drivers wishing enthusiasts a “Happy HEMI Day”. Mopar’s Motorsports PR person Pat Caporali tells us a video will be available on the Mopar YouTube channel HERE and on Mopar’s Facebook page HERE today.